The FTC, notably responsible for protecting consumers in the United States, has pinned Epic Games for questionable business practices in Fortnite. The company will have to pay a fine of 520 million dollars.
Epic Games is going to have to pay. In a press release published on December 19, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) announces that it has reached an agreement with the multinational, then sentenced to pay a fine of 520 million dollars for questionable commercial practices and a lack of protection vis-à-vis children and adolescents in the video game Fortnite.
Regarding the younger audience, Epic Games recently launched a new type of account, restricted from the moment you are under 13 years old (15 years old in France). This was no coincidence: this novelty responds to some of the concerns of the FTC, which notably accuses Epic Games of allowing unauthorized purchases thanks to “ obscure patterns “.
Epic Games makes buying in Fortnite a little too easy
In a separate document, the FTC lists several practices that allow — or have allowed — Epic Games to deceive the user when making purchases. The fact is that Fortnite does not ask for confirmation and has long saved bank card data (without anyone’s approval). These two biases, deplored as much by fans as by certain employees, lead to an incalculable number of unwanted transactions (especially by parents). And when refunds are requested, it’s necessary to go through a cumbersome process — when Epic Games doesn’t prevent doing so by freezing the account.
The FTC shows concrete examples proving that Epic Games abuses objectionable tricks to deceive players:
- On mobile, the “Buy” and “Preview Item” commands are so close that you can make mistakes;
- On console, there may be confusion regarding the button validating purchases. ” I accidentally bought a costume with my V-Bucks [monnaie virtuelle] when I just wanted to watch it. My fat finger pressed the Square button on PS4 “says a victim.
A confirmation notification could avoid all these accidents but, according to the company, it would add ” friction in the experiment and would reduce the impulse purchases “. In short, Epic Games does everything to make it easy for you to spend your money. A little too easily, in the eyes of the FTC. In 2018, complaints for accidental purchases also rose to fourth place in requests from after-sales service – a sign that there is a real concern.
Epic Games also does not help cancel a purchase after making it. It only implemented this possibility in June 2019 and, worse, made it much less clear over time. As this comparison shows:
- The “Cancel” command was clearly visible, although accessible for a limited time and remaining on the same screen;
- It has been replaced by a “Cancel purchase” command, written in small, at the very bottom of the screen. As a bonus, it requires holding a key for several seconds.
In addition to the financial penalty exceeding $500 million, Epic Games will notably have to modify the default settings of Fortnite.